Not sold in QLD or N.S.W
Breeding has enhanced the key attributes of this plant. ‘Bells of Fire’ is a versatile garden plant for sunny gardens. It is easy to grow and flower in many areas of Australia and New Zealand. As plants for sunny gardens they are used extensively in many parts of the Americas where they flower easily in warmer areas. Used in mixed garden plantings they hold their own with other shrubs bearing lots of flower heads over quite a long period of the year.
In any garden there is always room for a hardy plant that performs well, grows easily and flowers well. Plant into well-draining gardens which have been mulched to conserve moisture. If beds are fertile and open to full sun for most of the day the plant will grow and flower well. Suitable for larger pot culture ‘Bells of Fire’ is easy to grow but needs watering regularly to maintain the plant and encourage new growth, this is where the flowering comes from. The new growth bears the flower buds and flower.
‘Bells of Fire’ will take hard pruning in early spring when repotting of potted specimens can be done. Some light shade at this time is beneficial. Fertilising with a well balanced mix on a regular basis during the warmer growing season is beneficial. In the garden pruning should also be done at this time to encourage new growth and then the reward, lots of flowers.
Tecoma ‘Bells of Fire’ was selected from a range of seedlings collected from seed from Peru where the plant grows in nature. Some breeding from the selected seedlings over several years resulted in ‘Bells of Fire’ which were selected as they flowered more often with larger flower heads and deeper colour than the original native species.